Mercury: 1939-2010 – Click above to see the Five Best and Worst Mercury Models of All Time after the jump

Mercury could'a been a contenda'. In fact, there was a time – long, long ago – when Mercury was a brand to be reckoned with. As far as we're concerned, Mercury hit its zenith in the early 1970s, as you'll see in our image galleries below.

First launched way back in 1939 by none other than Edsel Ford himself, Mercury was initially intended to offer a slightly upmarket option to those for whom the traditional Ford badge was too plebian.

By 1945, Mercury was in full swing and the brand was merged in with the Lincoln division so it could further differentiate itself from Ford, from which the automaker had historically gleaned its platforms. And therein lies the rub... Mercury vehicles have nearly always been too closely tied to their Ford stablemates, with a few notable exceptions.

As such, unlike the recent death of Pontiac, which was met with wails and great gnashing of teeth from brand loyalists, we doubt the shuttering of the Mercury brand will be met with a similar well of tears.

In order to illustrate this point, follow along as we jolt the memory banks with a look back on the both Mercury's Best of Times and the Worst of Times. Hit the jump to see the Five Best Mercurys of All Time, followed by a reminder of how Mercury got itself into its current plight with the Five Worst Mercury Rebadges of All Time.

Along with each image in after the jump you'll find a brief explanation as to why the car is on its corresponding list. As always, we encourage reader participation. Have an idea of the best or worst Mercury in history? Leave it in the comments.